On coming to Union Theology Seminary Bonhoeffer already a PhD noted, "There is no theology here… We talk a blue streak without the slightest substantive foundation with no evidence of any criteria. Students--on the average 25 to 30 years old are completely clueless with respect to what dogmatics is really about. They're unfamiliar with even the most basic questions. They become intoxicated with liberal and humanistic phrases, laugh at the fundamentalist and yet basically are not even up to their level.
Paul tells Timothy that the believer in Jesus is a soldier with loyalty and complete focus on the mission, remembering there are rules in this endeavor of Faith,--it isn't an "anything goes," benign spirituality and through hard work and wise application of knowledge there is a payoff. (2 Tim 13-11)
But never forget:
The mission is about Jesus Christ risen from the dead; that is the foundation of it all and if that is ever lost through distraction, ever corrupted by false preachers, ever diminished through pseudo-scholarship or reinterpreted to some candy lozenge as a nicety rather then necessity, we will forfeit eternity and our promise of being with Him!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Reason AND Faith
"God has put enough into this world to make faith in Him a most reasonable thing; but he has left enough out to make it impossible to live by reason." Ravi Zacharias (Introduction to "Why Jesus?")
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Another example of the way Scripture is twisted
Recently a local prosperity preacher posted the following on Face Book:
Poverty is not next to Godliness. In scripture it's most often associated with sin, disobedience or ignorance of the Word. I wonder why it's so strongly defended in so many pulpits?
I posted the response: I'd be surprised if poverty is "defended" in any pulpit as much as the presumption or demand of wealth is being advanced as if it is "next to godliness" or is some indicator of holiness or faith. Let's face it, He who was rich became poor... Thanks be to God!
The following comment was posted by a man from Texas:
It's amazing that just about all the Godly men of the Bible were also men who God blessed with great wealth! It's also amazing that when Jesus asked his disciples about feeding the multitude.. they said they only had about 200 pennyworth of money on them.. Mark 6:37
In that day a penny was a days wages, that's 200 days wages Jesus ministry had... depending on what you set the national average... Jesus would of had. So in today's wages the average worker in America gets 16 and some change an hour times 8 hours equals 168 times 200 = 33,600.00
That's a lot of money for a ministry to carry around with them... I sure wish I had that much money in my billfold!!! So don't tell me Jesus was poor... That phrase has nothing to do with money... Just saying... ;>D
Then the original poster submitted the following:
He became poor that we might be made rich. Prosperity is no sin, nor is it achieved by scripture coercion. Prosperity is a tri level thing: Natural, Soulical & Spirit. Our spirit becomes prosperous thru the act of salvation. Natural prosperity occurs as we come into agreement with our New & Better Covenant. But, as John pointed out it hinges on how willingly we direct our soul (mind, will & emotions) to prosper in the things of God. Prosperity is never a sign of spiritual maturity any more than renouncing it is. It is simply a benefit of relationship and a tool for spreading the kingdom.
The remark about the disciples in Mark 6 is a very interesting way to read that passage.
Here is what Mark 6 says in the immediate context:
Mar 6:34ff When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, "This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But He answered them, "You give them something to eat!" And they *said to Him, "Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?"
And He *said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go look!" And when they found out, they *said, "Five, and two fish."
And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass.
They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties.
And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all.
Note, there is nothing in the text indicating the disciples had 200 Denarii with them. Rather the statement was made somewhat sarcastically showing they were baffled as to how they were supposed to feed the multitudes. In other words,they were saying, "Do you have any idea what it would cost to feed such a crowd? Like we're going to come up with the 200 Denarii to feed this bunch." "The ministry" wasn't cash flush as the Texan stated. The disciples statement reflects where their own heads are at concerning Jesus. As we know, they didn't exactly have it all put together that Jesus was who he said He was. Jesus of course had other plans.
The Texan also overstates asserting that "…about all the godly men of the Bible were men God blessed with great wealth." Some were certainly rich, at least in the Old Testament but as you move into the New Testament we see a working class pretty much trying to make ends meet as being the norm.
The sad aspect of such a prosperity emphasis is that the over whelming majority of the world, many of whom are Jesus loving people, live very meagerly to say the least. According to the precepts of prosperity gospel, this would indicate that the majority of believers in the world aren't very faithful, and certainly aren't very blessed by God.
Don't misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong with great wealth in and of itself, that is why my book is called "The PROPER Pursuit of Prosperity."
Finally--The statement the original poster put up is a bit disturbing: referring to the "blessing" of prosperity he writes: "It is simply a benefit of relationship and a tool for spreading the kingdom. Implicit in this statement is that any believer who is not experiencing prosperity is somehow deficient and that outward prosperity is to be an attractor of people to want to come to Christ. THAT is troublesome indeed.
Poverty is not next to Godliness. In scripture it's most often associated with sin, disobedience or ignorance of the Word. I wonder why it's so strongly defended in so many pulpits?
I posted the response: I'd be surprised if poverty is "defended" in any pulpit as much as the presumption or demand of wealth is being advanced as if it is "next to godliness" or is some indicator of holiness or faith. Let's face it, He who was rich became poor... Thanks be to God!
The following comment was posted by a man from Texas:
It's amazing that just about all the Godly men of the Bible were also men who God blessed with great wealth! It's also amazing that when Jesus asked his disciples about feeding the multitude.. they said they only had about 200 pennyworth of money on them.. Mark 6:37
In that day a penny was a days wages, that's 200 days wages Jesus ministry had... depending on what you set the national average... Jesus would of had. So in today's wages the average worker in America gets 16 and some change an hour times 8 hours equals 168 times 200 = 33,600.00
That's a lot of money for a ministry to carry around with them... I sure wish I had that much money in my billfold!!! So don't tell me Jesus was poor... That phrase has nothing to do with money... Just saying... ;>D
Then the original poster submitted the following:
He became poor that we might be made rich. Prosperity is no sin, nor is it achieved by scripture coercion. Prosperity is a tri level thing: Natural, Soulical & Spirit. Our spirit becomes prosperous thru the act of salvation. Natural prosperity occurs as we come into agreement with our New & Better Covenant. But, as John pointed out it hinges on how willingly we direct our soul (mind, will & emotions) to prosper in the things of God. Prosperity is never a sign of spiritual maturity any more than renouncing it is. It is simply a benefit of relationship and a tool for spreading the kingdom.
The remark about the disciples in Mark 6 is a very interesting way to read that passage.
Here is what Mark 6 says in the immediate context:
Mar 6:34ff When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, "This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But He answered them, "You give them something to eat!" And they *said to Him, "Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?"
And He *said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go look!" And when they found out, they *said, "Five, and two fish."
And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass.
They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties.
And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all.
Note, there is nothing in the text indicating the disciples had 200 Denarii with them. Rather the statement was made somewhat sarcastically showing they were baffled as to how they were supposed to feed the multitudes. In other words,they were saying, "Do you have any idea what it would cost to feed such a crowd? Like we're going to come up with the 200 Denarii to feed this bunch." "The ministry" wasn't cash flush as the Texan stated. The disciples statement reflects where their own heads are at concerning Jesus. As we know, they didn't exactly have it all put together that Jesus was who he said He was. Jesus of course had other plans.
The Texan also overstates asserting that "…about all the godly men of the Bible were men God blessed with great wealth." Some were certainly rich, at least in the Old Testament but as you move into the New Testament we see a working class pretty much trying to make ends meet as being the norm.
The sad aspect of such a prosperity emphasis is that the over whelming majority of the world, many of whom are Jesus loving people, live very meagerly to say the least. According to the precepts of prosperity gospel, this would indicate that the majority of believers in the world aren't very faithful, and certainly aren't very blessed by God.
Don't misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong with great wealth in and of itself, that is why my book is called "The PROPER Pursuit of Prosperity."
Finally--The statement the original poster put up is a bit disturbing: referring to the "blessing" of prosperity he writes: "It is simply a benefit of relationship and a tool for spreading the kingdom. Implicit in this statement is that any believer who is not experiencing prosperity is somehow deficient and that outward prosperity is to be an attractor of people to want to come to Christ. THAT is troublesome indeed.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Look Closer at Osteen's Handling of God's Word
Osteen's recent Tweet--
"Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to approach God "boldly" so we can receive mercy and grace. This leads to God's hand of favor."
Here is the verse in the immediate context--
Heb 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
What a difference just two verses makes! Osteen abuses the verse to be a "name it-- claim it" slogan. Osteen says--"This leads to God's hand of favor."
As usual Osteen masterfully uses a touch of truth--But the passage is not about manipulating God to get Him to do what we want. The entire book of Hebrews is about the glorious superiority of Jesus above anything and everything!
In chapter 4 there are warnings about "trifling with God" or dancing around the real issues of Lordship in light of the greatness of our Savior. The point of Hebrews is that we are utterly helpless and hopeless on our own so any thought of approaching God--on our own--with the expectation of Him forgiving us is out of the question.
BUT--because of who Jesus is, Because He is worth everything and has done everything on our behalf giving us his very own perfection, "THEREFORE" because of Jesus, we can boldly approach God's throne of grace with complete confidence that we will not be thrown out of His presence but will be embraced by Him. We will be seen in the perfection of Christ Himself and not our ugly sin! It is all about Jesus' GREATNESS not about giving God our wish list and expecting Him to jump!
The PROPER Pursuit of Prosperity explains this practically and beautifully to the glory of HIS praise!
"Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to approach God "boldly" so we can receive mercy and grace. This leads to God's hand of favor."
Here is the verse in the immediate context--
Heb 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
What a difference just two verses makes! Osteen abuses the verse to be a "name it-- claim it" slogan. Osteen says--"This leads to God's hand of favor."
As usual Osteen masterfully uses a touch of truth--But the passage is not about manipulating God to get Him to do what we want. The entire book of Hebrews is about the glorious superiority of Jesus above anything and everything!
In chapter 4 there are warnings about "trifling with God" or dancing around the real issues of Lordship in light of the greatness of our Savior. The point of Hebrews is that we are utterly helpless and hopeless on our own so any thought of approaching God--on our own--with the expectation of Him forgiving us is out of the question.
BUT--because of who Jesus is, Because He is worth everything and has done everything on our behalf giving us his very own perfection, "THEREFORE" because of Jesus, we can boldly approach God's throne of grace with complete confidence that we will not be thrown out of His presence but will be embraced by Him. We will be seen in the perfection of Christ Himself and not our ugly sin! It is all about Jesus' GREATNESS not about giving God our wish list and expecting Him to jump!
The PROPER Pursuit of Prosperity explains this practically and beautifully to the glory of HIS praise!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Practical Wisdom for Occupy Wall Street
I find it providential that the release of my book, The Proper Pursuit of Prosperity, (http://bit.ly/rrXGGz) coincided with the protest movement called "Occupy Wall Street." As a Christian whose values and morals are ruled by what is good, right and true according to the dictates of the Bible, I have a difficult time taking the protest seriously. Not only is prosperity not inherently wicked, but many of the patriarchs of the Bible were 1%ers to use today's vernacular.
Personally, my expansive review of our nation's history has never lead me to the delusion that I have a guarantee of prosperity; only the guarantee of the right to strive to prosper. So when I was saddled with the reality that I could not afford to attend a four year college, I had the freedom to choose insurmountable debt or matriculate at a community college obtaining my core requirements for a fraction of the cost of attending a four year school. The thought of begrudging those whose parents were able to send them to a university never entered my mind.
When it was time to think about a four year school, I refused to amass a mountain of debt so I traded three years of my life to military service in exchange for the G.I. Bill. Not only was my time in service outstanding for my personal maturation, but it enabled me to obtain my first degree and later paid for half of my Master's. Both my undergraduate and graduate education were accomplished with a family in tow and a boat load of responsible diligence. I would not trade it for anything.
So if I seem insensitive to the djembe beating, obscenity shouting, hissy fits of those occupying Wall Street, so be it. Considering their demand for some ridiculous guarantee of a livable wage--however that is defined--and release from the consequences of their financial decisions, it appears their "education" has not served them well. It is everyone's constitutional right to pursue one's dreams through sweat and hard work; there is no constitutional guarantee of success.
Our system of capitalism is flawed, that is beyond cavil. That one of our nation's besetting sins is greed is equally strong. But what the protestors choose to ignore is that greed isn't defined by net worth, but the condition of one's soul. The single mom in a trailer park abusing whatever forms of relief she can pilfer through lying and deceit is no less greedy than the dad who is single because he carelessly exchanged love of his family for the sparkle of corporate acclamation. Both have greedy hearts and the answer to greed is not legislation but transformation. Charity issues from a thankful heart, not by legislated mandate.
At the end of the day one's net worth is not proportional to satisfaction with life and is often a detriment. So the only proper pursuit of prosperity is found when one orders their life according to Heaven's priorities. It surprises most people when I inform them that money is not the root of all evil but rather the Bible says, "The LOVE of money is…" (1 Timothy 6:10)
The issues of our nation's economy are complex and cannot be dropped in any one institution's lap. The whole foundation of our culture is floundering and the pernicious mindset of entitlement emanating from places of higher learning needs to be challenged for the resolute counsel of God's word admonishes, "…if anyone is not willing to work, then he ought not to eat." (2 Thessalonians 3:10) That one passage imparts much practical wisdom which if applied would clear the parks and protests in short order.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Book signings on the calendar--
Selah Tea in Watervvile;Nov.19th 2-4pm Main st
Lighthouse Bible and gift Fairfield Dec. 3rd 1-3 Ridge Rd.
C'mon out and keep me company! :)
Lighthouse Bible and gift Fairfield Dec. 3rd 1-3 Ridge Rd.
C'mon out and keep me company! :)
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
It's Official! October 4th, 2011
Today my book, The Proper Pursuit of Prosperity is released. You can preview it at Amazon.com http://amzn.to/pklBbo buy the E-book at Tate Publishing http://bit.ly/9DjiTp or obtain special edition hard cover signed books from the author--at PB@fefchurch.org
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